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This week's interview is with Emily Johnston from Material Girls. Johnston is the founder, executive editor and Dallas contributor.

Lydia Slavutin:  Why did you decide to start/become involved with Material Girls?

Emily Johnston: I needed a place in which I could organize all of my design thoughts and where I could share ideas/inspiration with others.  Design blogs were
starting to become more and more prevalent, so I created my blog unaware at
the time that there were so many other people out there who were as crazy
as I was about design!  It's nice to "meet" people from all over the world
who share my same passion and also want to be inspired on a day to day
basis. 

LS: How did it come to fruition?

EJ: My boyfriend suggested that I start a design blog back in September 2007,
and I was a little hesitant about it at first.  But once I started blogging,
I was hooked!  Lauren, my former design classmate at OU, joined the blog and
"Dear Designer" was then born.  Dear Designer was our name until December
2007, until we realized that there was a lady in Las Vegas writing for a
newspaper column called "Dear Designer".  We wanted our own identity so we
decided to change our name to Material Girls and then the whole Marie
Antoinette theme came to fruition.  Less than a year later, we added on LA,
Chicago, and New York bloggers. 

LS: What are your thoughts on the growing popularity of the design blogging
community?

EJ: I think it is wonderful how much it has grown within just the past few
years.  There are so many fantastic design blogs out there (I am having a
hard time keeping up with them all, to tell you the truth!) It seems like
every day, I found out about a new design blog.  One thing in particular
that is so nice about the blogging community is how all of the design
bloggers are so supportive of each other. Most of my friends in Dallas
aren't into interior design, so it was nice to find a "virtual" community of
bloggers who were! 

LS: Do you think that blogging about design has changed design? If so, how?

EJ: I don't think it has necessarily changed design in itself, but instead, has
changed the way designers/homeowners get their information.  Before, when
only shelter magazines existed, people waited an entire month to receive
their monthly issue in the mail to learn about the latest and greatest in
design.  Now that design blogs exist, it speeds up the process and people
get their design information much quicker than they used to.  

LS: What are your resources for creative inspiration and endeavors?

EJ: My resources for creative inspiration are magazines (I hope printed
magazines will always be around!), museums/art, traveling, printed
fabrics/wallpaper, blogs, books, and nature.

LS: What is your favorite part of your website?

EJ: I think my favorite part would have to be the illustrations!  I am such a
girly girl and when we re-launched our blog, I was determined to have more
Marie Antoinette illustrations on the site.  I worked with our NY
illustrator, Brooke Hagel, to come up with five more illustrations that fit
the tone of our blog and that also relate to each city.

Thank you to Emily Johnston for her contributions to the design community!